Those among the left-leaning media who proved their wonk-hood by spending New Years Eve watching C-SPAN instead of Taylor Swift, spent the first morning of 2013 expressing their scorn for President Obama’s negotiating skills.

OK, now for the really bad news. Anyone looking at these negotiations, especially given Obama’s previous behavior, can’t help but reach one main conclusion: whenever the president says that there’s an issue on which he absolutely, positively won’t give ground, you can count on him, you know, giving way — and soon, too. The idea that you should only make promises and threats you intend to make good on doesn’t seem to be one that this particular president can grasp.